Sweet Sound of Laughter
by Nienyan
Summary: Collection of humorous drabbles centered around Asbel and Richard. The prompts were: handcuffed together, body swap, snowed in, and road trip.
1. Bound (Prompt: Handcuffed Together)

**A/N:** This is another fic (well, drabble collection) I wrote a while ago and was yet to post on this site. Again, you may have seen it on my Tumblr (where they were initially posted as part of a tropes writing game) or AO3 already. They're all very silly, so please don't take them seriously. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

**Bound **

**(Prompt: Handcuffed Together)**

When Pascal claimed she lost the key, Richard's initial reaction was to smile. He wouldn't mind being bound to Asbel for the rest of his life, so mere hours would be a piece of cake. In truth, he hoped that Pascal would take longer to replicate the eleth key. Maybe a feel days. Or weeks. Or—

"Richard…" Asbel's sweet voice interrupted his musings.

Smiling, he turned to his friend. "Yes, Asbel?"

"Um… I'm kinda worried about something." He tried scratching his neck with his bound hand, lifting Richard's arm halfway up before he realized his blunder. "Oops, sorry."

"It's fine, Asbel." In truth, Richard would gladly scratch Asbel's neck himself if his friend wished for it. "Anyway, as you were saying…?"

"Ahh, right." He scratched his neck, with his free arm this time. "Well… I really have to pee."

"Oh." Richard blushed. That was the kind of implication he had failed to foresee. "I understand, Asbel. I will turn away while you… ahem… fulfill… your biological needs."

"T-That's not the issue, Richard." Asbel cleared his throat. "You see, I… _I use both hands."_

"…Oh, Asbel. That's perfectly fine." Richard smiled. "I'm always willing to help my best friend."


	2. A Strange Fit (Prompt: Body Swap)

**A Strange Fit **

**(Prompt: Body Swap)**

"Hey, Richard." The words were Asbel's, but the voice that left his lips did not belong to him. "I'm taller than you."

Richard raised an auburn eyebrow. "It seems you are, Asbel. But I believe we have very pressing matters to address at the moment. We can engage in joking later."

"Aw, c'mon, Richard. There's no need to be grumpy. Pascal said she'll get us back in no time." He patted the messy hair that used to belong to him. "And this whole thing is pretty fun! …Well, other than your clothes. How can you move around in something this tight? Not to mention these boots, geez!"

Heterochromatic eyes narrowed. "My attire is perfectly fine, Asbel. Yours, on the other hand…" He tugged at the pale green undershirt. "How can you feel comfortable in such a revealing garment? My— …_Your_ collarbones are exposed! I feel almost naked!"

Asbel gasped in outrage. "Hey! There's nothing wrong with my shirt! I should be asking _you_ how you can stand this cravat, though! This thing's hot as hell!"

Richard frowned. "If you're that bothered, Asbel, maybe we should switch our clothing."

"Hey, that's actually a great…" His voice - well, _Richard's_ voice - faded completely. "No. No way. We can't!"

"Why not, Asbel?"

"B-Because, in order to do that, we'd have to… T-Take off our clothes."

Richard paused for a moment. For some reason, he looked a little hurt. "If… if you don't want to look at my body, Asbel… You can close your eyes while I change your clothes."

Asbel turned bright red. "I-I… It's not that I don't—! A-And if you do that, _you_ will see me naked, Richard!"

"Naked? I don't believe there is any need for us to switch underwear, Asbel. Unless you find mine uncomfortable…?" He seemed genuinely confused.

Thinking about Richard's underwear - and what was inside them - only made Asbel more flustered. "F-Forget it, Richard. Let's just sit still until Pascal fix us."

Still confused, Richard complied. Asbel fretted nervously, until Pascal came back with the distressing news that it would take a few days before they could switch back. Until then, they'd have to deal with certain personal affairs, such as changing, and…

Bathing.

…Asbel fainted.


	3. Warmth (Prompt: Snowed In)

**Warmth**

**(Prompt: Snowed In)**

Asbel and Richard had been on their way to Zavhert as part of a political visit. While resting at the inn in Velanik, a storm left them trapped - and it was expected to last for a number of days. Due to the limited eleth supply, the heater had to be turned down, making the temperature barely tolerable.

During their first sleepless night, Asbel, cold despite his many blankets, started worrying about his best friend's state. Barona's climate was milder than Lhant's, so Richard was probably faring even worse than him, Asbel thought. Taking a few of his blankets with him, he decided to sneak inside Richard's bedroom, with the intent of making sure his friend was warm enough.

The door creaked, but Richard did not stir even as Asbel's steps echoed in the quiet room. Sleeping soundly was unlike his slightly paranoid friend, Asbel noted. He gently pressed the back of his hand against what little skin peered between blond hair and blankets, and found Richard alarmingly cold. Asbel immediately placed his own blankets over Richard's, but in the back of his mind, he knew it wouldn't be enough. His friend would definitely fall sick - or worse, as the slightly dramatic Asbel feared.

There was only one solution.

_Spooning_.

…Maybe storms weren't so bad, after all.


	4. En Route (Prompt: Road Trip)

**En Route**

**(Prompt: Road Trip)**

"Fear not, Asbel. I'm in more than top shape."

He frowned. "No way, Richard. We need to get a room in a motel. You've been driving for _sixteen hours!_ And we only stopped twice! Did you even pee last time?"

"That's an awfully rude question, Asbel. My bladder is quite fine, thank you very much."

A sigh. "I'm only worried about you. You need to rest, stretch your legs a bit." Asbel paused for a moment, and then turned to Richard with wide eyes. "You could get a blood clot and die!"

The chuckle that left Richard's lips was not the reply Asbel hoped for. While he enjoyed his lover's laughter more than anything else, the blood clot could be on its way to his heart at that very moment!

"We're stopping on the next motel, or I'll be ripping that driving wheel off your hands!" Asbel held Richard's right shoulder for emphasis. "Understood?"

It was Richard's turn to sigh. "Understood, Asbel." He wore a defeated expression for a few moments, which then faded into a smirk. "My dear Asbel, if you truly are that… _eager_, you should have simply told me. No need to go about making excuses!"

Asbel's mouth went agape. "_W-Wha—!_ I-I'm not…! That's not the reason I want us to stop!"

Richard's smirk grew more taunting. "Oh, so we won't _do it_, then?"

"…N-No, that's not what I mean!" He grew red as Richard laughed. "Damn, Richard! I was being serious, you know! Blood clots are dangerous!"

"Oh, Asbel. If there's any concentrated blood around here, it's certainly between your legs."

For the rest of the trip, Asbel refused to speak.


End file.
